“Swimming has always been so liberating for me.”

I had my first swimming lesson at home in Italy, when I was 3 years old. My doctor said swimming would be good for my cerebral palsy, as water is beneficial for managing muscle stiffness. 

I actually used to hate swimming at first, and would cry for hours every time I had to go to the pool. I think this was because I could see I was different from the other children.  

I had a separate teacher, and we swam in a separate lane. Sometimes my teacher presumed what I could and couldn’t do, and I felt very limited in that. 

“Swimming with other competitive para-swimmers was life changing for me.” 

I had a new coach at the age of 9 who convinced me to start training with a group of para-swimmers. 

At that point, my attitude changed completely. It was such a varied team. There were people with all different types of disabilities that I'd never seen before. I could see them swim and win races like everybody else. 

It changed me because I could see that we were all in the same boat. Even though we all had different disabilities, and different things that we could do, I never felt like I stood out. I felt really included.  

Swimming with other competitive para-swimmers was life changing for me. It was really good for me to work with people who had already coached athletes with disabilities.  

“Swimming was a huge outlet for me.” 

As I grew up in Italy, I faced a lot of inaccessibility. I couldn’t get on the bus or the train. Even my home and school were not accessible to wheelchair users, and I could not get around independently.  

I was resentful of the fact that I couldn’t get around like I wanted to. But swimming was a huge outlet for me. It gave me a space where I could unwind. 

“I could do things in the water that I couldn't do outside.” 

Outside the water, I have no balance, so I use a walking frame and a wheelchair. When I'm swimming in the water, I don't need any mobility aids because I'm floating.  

I learnt as a kid that I could walk on my own in the water. That's always been very liberating to me.  

It’s not because I want to walk on my own, but because I found I could do things in the water that I couldn't do outside. 

For example, you don't think about the inaccessibility of things in para-swimming spaces because everyone is disabled.  

I also get a sense of belonging from being with other para-swimmers. It’s a feeling that I can joke with someone about our disabilities without them thinking it's weird.  

“I swim because I enjoy it, and it has been my lifeline.” 

In 2008, I started swimming competitively on a regional level. I have now been competing in nationals since 2010. When I moved to Cardiff in 2016, I continued to train remotely with my coach.  

I’ve got a lot of friends who I used to swim with who are competing in the Paralympics. I’ll be rooting for them from home! 

I know there’s not that expectation for me to get a gold medal anymore. But I swim because I enjoy it, and it has been my lifeline.  

There is a common misconception that, if you do any para sports, you must be a superhero. Or, you must compete at the very high level. I want to bring some kind of normalcy to parasports.  

I’m a para-swimmer, but I’m not a world champion. I do it because I love it.  

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